See the changes that The Sunshine State recently made to the Greenbelt Law, the tax classification of agricultural land.
As of July 1st, Florida’s tax package became law, and it includes a provision that changes Florida’s Greenbelt Law, according to a Citrus Industry article. Per the UF/IFAS Florida Land Steward website, “Florida, like most states, has adopted use-value assessment for the purpose of ad valorem, or property, taxation. Use-value assessment is the most widely used technique in the United States today for maintaining land in agricultural production.” This means that “Agricultural producers are taxed at the income-earning potential of the land in agricultural production rather than at what a willing buyer would pay for the land.” See the details of the changes below.
Changes to Florida’s Greenbelt Law
The Greenbelt Law maintains that “lands taken out of production through a state or federal eradication or quarantine program, such as the Citrus Health Response Program, shall continue to be classified as agricultural lands for tax-assessment purposes.” In this way, ag land that can no longer be used for production due to a state or federal action will not be further penalized through being taxed at a higher rate.
The recent changes make the ag land classification “will remain in place for 10 years following the execution of a compliance agreement between the landowner and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services or a federal agency,” rather than the 5 years it was prior to the change.
Applying for Ag Classification
According to the Citrus Industry article, landowners looking for ag classification under the Greenbelt Law should know:
- “Agricultural classification requires an application to a county property appraiser.”
- “In order to have land considered for agricultural classification, a landowner must apply to the property appraised no later than March 1 of the year for which the classification is being sought.”
- Landowners must fill out and submit the proper form, which can be found at their county property appraiser’s office.
UF/IFAS has the website How to Apply for a Greenbelt Agricultural Tax Assessment, and there is Florida Statute 193.461, to give further information.
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